Linguistic and cultural multidimensionality in Conde's writing: the Witch of Salem and her Creole imaginary

Conde's writing is one of the most relevant examples of post-colonial literature. In this context, the social dimension deserves special attention, as it represents the intersection between the main difficulties stemming from West Indies colonization: slavery, social stratification, identity exile, religion and in particular, women's issues. In this regard, the woman is undestood as a subaltern subject and she constitutes the undeniable protagonist of Conde's story. Surrounded by a striking landscape, the description of all these elements is immersed in a linguistic hybridization, as a result of miscegenation of different communities. Thereby, the story has plenty of creolized words, neologisms, idiomatic expressions and a range of linguistic mechanisms that turn this narrative into a literary melting pot and into a real translation challenge.